An addition always seen when paying tuition is “student fee.” Ranging in various dollar amounts, many students look at these fees and wonder what they are paying for. The Student Services Expo, themed “Services at work for you,” will be held in the Shepherd Union Atrium on Sept. 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students can come to get their questions answered and find out about all the services their student fees go toward.

The Student Services Expo informs students of the programs, support and services available. Weber State University offers these services so students can become more engaged in their education and to assist students in their success. During the expo, staff will be on hand to illustrate how student fees are spent, so if students are concerned, they can voice their opinions to the student senate.

According to Jan Winniford, vice president for Student Affairs, students become aware of campus services available to them by means of the annual Block Party.

“It’s not until students have been in classes for a few weeks and maybe that first round of exams is coming up and they start realizing that they may need help, assistance; they may be struggling a little bit and need academic support, or they’re beginning to just get into their routine, and they realize maybe they’re not taking full advantage of ways to get involved,” Winniford said.

A few areas Student Affairs covers are focused interest, academic support, student life and service. These break down to include the Center for Diversity & Unity, the Nontraditional Student Center, Services for Students with Disabilities, math tutoring, the Writing Center, online tutoring, Student Support Services, the WSU Student Association, Campus Recreation, the Center for Community Engaged Learning, computer labs, Career Services, the Student Health Center, and the Counseling & Psychological Services Center, all of which are provided through student fees.

“A lot of the things (that are) challenging when you have a population of 26,000 are that our students are generally older in age, more mature,” said Winn Stanger, director for Career Services. “Their focus is on going to class, doing well, and then usually going to work.”

According to Stanger, 90 percent of WSU students work part-time and 40 percent work full-time at some point during their university experience.

“The challenge organizations like mine have . . . is that students want what they want when they want it, so they have a need right then and get it met, so it’s hard for us to market our services into a way so students know to take advantage of the free services we offer,” Stanger said.

Every department that receives money from student fees will have a booth at the expo; however, students don’t have to wait until the expo to start finding out what’s available. Brady Harris, president of the student senate, urges students to start walking around the Shepherd Union and Student Services buildings to find out about those services now.

“I think it is important that students to come and see the services that are available, because I don’t think students know what’s available to them that can really help them be successful,” he said. “Especially for how much you pay. If they don’t use the services, then you’re just paying a lot of money for nothing.”